The present invention is directed to a spring powered toy car and, more specifically, to a spring powered toy car having a lockout mechanism that prevents the spring from powering the drive wheels when the lockout mechanism is engaged.
Playsets for toy vehicles, including spring-powered toy vehicles, electrically or battery powered toy vehicles, and unpowered toy vehicles are known in the art. Many of these playsets typically include, for example, one or more track sections with a multitude of turns, loops, hills, crossovers, and/or other obstacles or features designed to enhance the play value of the toy vehicles.
The simplicity of a spring-powered car holds appeal for many users. A fully wound spring-powered car may have enough power to travel a considerable distance and to negotiate a number of turns, loops, and other obstacles. Some spring-powered toy cars are adapted to be wound by a winding device, which fosters more rapid play and reduces the time between runs. However, in some circumstances it may be desirable to prevent the spring in the toy car from inadvertently unwinding prior to the commencement of the next run.
In one aspect, a spring-powered toy car set comprises a winding device defining a receiving area, a toy car including a base, a drive wheel mounted to the base, and a driving mechanism mounted to the base, with the driving mechanism including a drive spring arranged to drive the drive wheel. The driving mechanism includes a post shiftable between a first position and a second position and post arranged to prevent the drive spring from driving the drive wheel when the post is in the first position. The post is further arranged to permit the drive spring to drive the drive wheel when the post is in the second position, and an adaptor is operatively coupled to the spring and mounted to the base, with the adaptor sized and shaped to engage the winding device when the toy car is placed on the receiving area to permit winding of the drive spring. A portion of the receiving area is arranged to shift the post to the first position in response to placement of the toy car on the receiving area.
A body may be provided which is sized for mounting to the base and which includes an actuator button positioned to contact the post. The actuator button may be spring biased, and the body may be secured to the base by a spring-loaded retaining tab sized to engage a catch on the body.
The driving mechanism may include at least one rotatable gear having a toothed periphery, and a pawl is shiftably mounted to the base adjacent the toothed periphery, with the pawl shiftable between a first position in which the pawl engages the toothed periphery thereby preventing rotation of the rotatable gear and a second position disengaged from the rotatable gear. The pawl is shiftable to the first position in response to shifting of the post to the first position and shiftable to the second position in response to shifting the post to the second position. The pawl may be spring-biased toward the second position, and the post and the pawl preferably include cooperating camming surfaces.
The base may include a lower side having an aperture, with the post protruding from the aperture when the post is in the second position. The base may include an upper side having an aperture, and the post may be sized to extend through the aperture when the post is in the first position.
In another aspect, a toy car comprises a base, a plurality of wheels arranged to support the base for rolling movement over a surface, a drive train including a spring, the drive train mounted to the base and operatively coupled to at least one of the wheels by at least one drive gear, at least a portion of the drive gear surrounded by a set of teeth, a post shiftably mounted to the base and moveable between a first position and a second position, and a pawl shiftably mounted to the base and responsive to movement of the post. The pawl is arranged to prevent rotation of the drive gear when the post is in the first position, the pawl further is arranged to permit rotation of the drive gear when the post is in the second position.
In a further aspect, a toy car comprises a base, a plurality of wheels arranged to support the base for rolling movement over a surface, a spring-powered drive train carried by the base and operatively coupled to at least one of the wheels and having at least one rotatable drive gear, the drive gear including a set of teeth, a post shiftably mounted to the base and moveable between a first position and a second position, the post including a camming surface, and a pawl carried by the base and including a camming surface. The camming surface of the post and the camming surface of the pawl are arranged to shift the pawl into engagement with the teeth of the drive gear in response to movement of the post to the first position, and the pawl is arranged to shift away from the drive gear in response to movement of the post to the second position.